Xander if he hadn't met Buffy

[Buffy Summers]

In the Pack, do you think Xander would have gone in to the Hyena House to save Lance if he had never met Buffy?

 

[Black Eye Guy]

I don't think so. When we watched this the other night, I was actually wondering the same thing.

I immediately thought he did it in a 'show off' kinda way, to show to Buffy he can be helpful as she hadn't needed him in that capacity.

And it's not that I don't think Xander would have put himself out there for someone else, I just don't think, if it was only Xander and Willow, that they would have noticed "the pack" going in with Lance.

 

[Buffy Summers]

I felt like Xander showed more bravery (for lack of a better word) than he might have in earlier episodes. Like he got a confidence from fighting alongside Buffy that he didn't have before.

 

[Lyri]

No.

It's been a long time since I watched 'The Pack', so forgive me if I'm remembering wrong, but I seem to recall Xander and Willow telling Buffy all about the bullies, meaning, they knew that they were picking on people before the outing to the zoo. I mean, that's why Xander decided to be the one to go into the hyena house after them - he tells Buffy that it isn't a 'Slayer gig' and that he's more than capable of handling them by himself.

But the thing is, he never 'handled' them before. He pretty much ignored the fact that they were bullying people, picking on people, and pretty much making kids' lives miserable, and he never even tried to do anything about it...until it gave him an opportunity to prove himself in front of Buffy.

So, yeah, I think the only reason he did it was to try to show off to Buffy, and if they'd never met, I think he and Willow would have been off in another part of the zoo, or would have just turned a blind eye and walked away.

 

[Robb Stark]

I think Xander, like a lot of people, became a better person after meeting Buffy. Sure, initially he would have done whatever he could have to make her like him romantically, but I don't think that was the root of it, especially as the series progressed.

If Xander has never met Buffy, he probably would have grown up to be just another ordinary guy with an ordinary life. Certainly not "bad", but not anything particularly special either. Instead, I think after meeting Buffy and seeing her, he wanted more out of himself, and he really showed it.

 

[white avenger]

First, I firmly believe that if Xander had never met Buffy, he would have been killed and possibly turned by Jesse long before the events of this episode took place, then he would have turned Willow, pretty much what happened in the Wishverse (remember, all of that happened because Buffy never came to Sunnydale)

Beyond that, Xander, as he was depicted at the beginning of Season 1, wouldn't have been the type to try and rescue anyone, and even if he did, he would have probably botched the whole thing up.

 

[Buffy Summers]

First, I firmly believe that if Xander had never met Buffy, he would have been killed and possibly turned by Jesse long before the events of this episode took place, then he would have turned Willow, pretty much what happened in the Wishverse (remember, all of that happened because Buffy never came to Sunnydale)

This what not a Wishverse question, but rather one about how Xander's relationship with Buffy changed him (or not).

 

[BuffyElevated]

I really like [MENTION=6758]white avenger[/MENTION]'s theory that Jesse would have ended up turning Xander, but since that's not what the original question asks, I'll have to say that I don't think he would have helped Lance.
I think if Xander hadn't become friends with Buffy, he would have had the mentality that most of the other Sunnydale residents seemed to have: "I know something weird's going on, but I'm not getting involved".

 

[white avenger]

This what not a Wishverse question, but rather one about how Xander's relationship with Buffy changed him (or not).

I was only using the Wishverse as an example, since that apparently was the butterfly effect resulting from the Slayer not coming to Sunnydale. If you mean, how would Xander have been different simply by not forming a friendship with Buffy, then I still believe that he would never made it long enough to have ben walking around with a beating heart by the time of the hyena possession. If he did, by some miracle make it that long, however, I doubt that he would have gone out of his way to try and help. Xander and Willow had pretty much isolated themselves from all of the rest of the students. Sure, Xander tries to get date occasionally, but I think that that was more like the old tale about the dog chasing the car. He never really expects to catch it, and wouldn't know what to do with it even if he did. That pretty much sums up Xander at the beginning of Season 1. He sees himself as totally inadequate and undesirable, therefore he has neither the desire nor the incentive to perform any sort of act of bravery

 

[Buffy Summers]

Jeeze. The question is, if faced with the situation we saw in The Pack, where a student is being picked on, would Xander have stood up for the kid if he had never been a Scooby.

 

[Taake]

Jeeze. The question is, if faced with the situation we saw in The Pack, where a student is being picked on, would Xander have stood up for the kid if he had never been a Scooby.

No I don't think he would have. As has been previously stated I think he derived that particular type of bravery from spending time with Buffy. As a regular teenager he obviously knew that the right thing to do was to stand up for the kid but without Buffy's influence I honestly think he would have taken the easy way out. Not to say that he's a coward but at that age, those mental sensibilities and the group pressure for your peers I think it takes a very specific type of strength to stand up to bullies of that sort. Xander had it deep inside but it took for Buffy (IMO a 'monkey see, monkey do' effect) to bring it out of him 🙂

 

[white avenger]

Jeeze. The question is, if faced with the situation we saw in The Pack, where a student is being picked on, would Xander have stood up for the kid if he had never been a Scooby.

And, once again I say, no. Xander was the victim of bullies himself. Standing up to bullies just wasn't his strong point, and standing up to someone else's bullies would have been even less likely than standing up to his own.

 

[Tome]

I don't think so. Meeting Buffy had a big impact on him. 😉 Not only did he wanna impress her, but I think that seeing everything she did for others had him wanting to do the same. After all, he admitted later on that she was his hero. 😛

 

[Bexieh]

I don't think he would have. I think fighting vamps and demons and other monsters might have changed his perspective completely. As in a "well I help fight monsters on a nightly basis now, surely I can handle a couple of human bullies" kind of way. So yeah I think being a Scooby gave him a big confidence boost in that respect. After all, since seeing the crazy things the gang have seen, it kind of makes the threat of bullies seem a tad less significant! But beforehand I don't think he would have. As good natured and well intentioned as he is, I don't think he'd be confident enough to do it. It takes a lot to stand up to a bully!